Video poker results random

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3-12-2008 New headshot of John Grochowski. Photo by Dom Najolia, Chicago Sun-Times

Updated: February 28, 2012 8:10AM

A shuffle through the Gaming mailbag:

Q. Do video poker machines with progressive jackpots on royal flushes deal fewer small winners to make up for the bigger jackpots?

Ed, St. Charles, Ill.

A. No, the programming in video poker doesn’t allow for a lower frequency of small-paying hands to pay for the progressive. The deck is electronically shuffled, results are random and the odds are the same as if you were using a well-shuffled deck of real cards.

A casino that wants its base game to pay less on a progressive game will change the pay tables, just as they do on their regular video poker games. The same casino might have 9-6 Jacks or Better non-progressives that pay 9-for-1 on full house and 6-for-1 on a flush, but drop to 8-5 paybacks on progressives. If they have 9-6 progressives, they’re giving the player something extra above the 9-6 pay table.

Q. My dad is one of those guys who always splits 10s in blackjack if the dealer has a 6 up. He said, “I have an edge with a 20 against a 6, but I also have an edge with a 10 against a 6. So I split and get more money on the table.”

You know and I know his edge is a lot bigger if he stands on the 20, and splitting the 10s costs him money. But, is there ever a right time to split the 10s against a 6?

Jason, Oak Lawn, Ill.

A. If you’re a basic strategy player, it’s always best to stand on 20. If you’re a Hi-Lo counter, and the true count is plus-4 or higher in a multideck game, then you add to your edge by splitting the 10s.

However, if you’re in the late stages in a tournament round and you absolutely have to maximize your wagers, then splitting 10s is one way to do it.

Q. Is there a place on or close to the Las Vegas Strip that has the good video poker games?

Jen, Tinley Park, Ill.

A. LVH — formerly Las Vegas Hilton — has a number games that return 99-percent-plus with expert play. I’m partial to the 15-8 Loose Deuces, with a theoretical return of 100.15 percent.

Contact John Grochowski at casinoanswerman.com.